Residents flee as flames damage Lakeside home

LAKESIDE  A family of three, including a 92-year-old woman, escaped safely from their burning home in Lakeside early Thursday, fire officials said.

The blaze appeared to have started accidentally, near an electrical outlet on the back patio, sheriff’s arson Detective Anthony Portillo said. He estimated the damage at more than $100,000.

One resident, a man in his 50s, awoke about 4 a.m. to a flickering light on the patio of the house on Del Sol Road off Los Coches Road, Portillo said. The man saw flames outside and helped his wife and his mother-in-law get out unharmed while he called 911.

Firefighters found smoke and fire through much of the house and requested a second alarm for more fire trucks, Lakeside Fire Protection District Chief Andy Parr said. Firefighters knocked down most of the flames in about 15 minutes.

Some vehicles were destroyed in the blaze, Parr said, but the garage and some other vehicles were saved. One firefighter suffered a minor injury.

The flames burned through a power line leading to the house and the line fell onto the back yard but did not cause additional damage, Parr said.

Portillo said the older woman had owned the house for several decades.